Southeastern U.S. ports escape major damage, begin operating

Hurricane Matthew caused minor damage at ports from North Carolina to Florida, but operations have returned to normal, except at the Port of Savannah.

   Ports and railroads in the Southeastern U.S. are set to resume full, or partial, operations Monday after spending the weekend cleaning up and assessing damage from Hurricane Matthew.

   The Port of Charleston, despite flooding in the historic downtown area, is operating as normal, the South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) said in an advisory posted online. Vessels are being worked and gates at container yards are open for truckers at the Wando Welch and North Charleston terminals.
   SCPA Port Director Jim Newsome tweeted Saturday that port terminals escaped significant damage.
   There was some water and wind impact to warehouses roofs and sheeting, but there is no evidence of any damage to mobile equipment or cranes, spokeswoman Erin Dhand said in an e-mail Monday morning.
   Further south, container operations at the Port of Savannah are expected to resume Monday evening, with gate operations slated to resume Tuesday morning. The U.S. Coast Guard and harbor pilots are assessing the Savannah river navigation channel and vessel transits are anticipated to begin Tuesday morning, the Georgia Ports Authority (GPA) announced.
   Power has been restored at both the Garden City and Ocean terminals in Savannah, as well as at the Port of Brunswick. Rail service is available for all terminals, the GPA said.
   The Port of Jacksonville, which took the full brunt of the massive storm, is open again for business. “All good here and back to normal,” Communications Director Nancy Rubin said via text.
   Port Canaveral, in the center of Florida’s east coast, only experienced minimal damage despite high winds and heavy rain, the port authority said Friday night. Vessel traffic resumed Saturday after survey teams found no navigable obstructions. Cargo piers were undamaged, with minor damage to cruise terminals. Some port tenants experienced damage to their properties, officials said.
   Port Everglades said it has reopened, while Port Miami has also announced it has returned to normal operations.
   “We are fully operational and cruise and cargo vessels have returned with no issues,” spokeswoman Rosalind Harvey said in an e-mail on Monday.
   In North Carolina, the ports of Wilmington and Morehead City returned Monday to a normal operating schedule, the port authority announced.
   Container operations at the Port of Virginia are operating as normal, but administrative offices and the inland barge terminal in Richmond are closed for Columbus Day. The container freight stations and out-of-gauge operations are also closed in the Norfolk area.
   To assist the community with recovery from Hurricane Matthew, the Canaveral Port Authority is providing up to 100,000 square feet of space in the new Port Canaveral Logistics Center in Titusville to the American Red Cross to store relief supplies.
   U.S. Customs and Border Protection said cargo clearance will resume at ports once they restore full operations.
   Meanwhile, Norfolk Southern said its railroad routes to Jacksonville, Brunswick, Savannah and Charleston have been restored to service. The freight railroad is working to restore service east of Selma, N.C., to New Bern, and is experiencing localized flooding in the Norfolk, Va., area. More than 2,000 trees have been cleared from the tracks already, the railway said. Cargo may need to be switched to alternative routes, and once service is restored, customers may still experience delays of two to three days in areas impacted by the storm, NS said.
  CSX, the other major eastern railroad, said crews are working around the clock to fully restore service. The railroad established service into Florida with the exception of crossing SunRail through the Orlando area. As of Saturday, service remained suspended from Savannah through Pembroke, N.C. And switching operations remain closed in Savannah, Charleston and Wilmington.
  All of CSX’s Jacksonville facilities, including its headquarters, are operational this morning, spokeswoman Kristin Seay said.